Vehicle-caster.



J. E. NORWOOD.

VEHICLE GASTER. v

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1909. 973,690. I Patented 0013.25, 1910.

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Application filed December To all whom it may concem: a 4 A Be it known that 1, JOHN E. Nonw'oou a citizen-of the United States, residing n the city of Baltimore, State'of Maryland, have 5 invented certain new merits in Vehicle-Casters; 1 declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the. invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which ertains to make and'use the same. This jT-he object of the invention is the produc- 1 tion ofa device of I the character named "which is adapted to support vehicles either and useful Impr0ve.

: ,5 with or without the wheels applied thereto 'andenable same to be moved within a much g'smaller areathan can-be done by the ordinary propelling and steering of the vehicle.

To this end the invention comprises a. base 20 having a'swiv'eled connection with its supporting wheelswhereby said basemay be i moved in anydirection; the upper face of 'said base beingsuitably dished to receive and support aiiehicl' wheel, while a suit- 25 ablefsupporting element is detachably carj ried thereby to enable the caster toopenati'vely' support the vehiclethrough the inp strument'ality of the engagement of "said i supporting element with the axle thereof. so I With these and other'objects in view the invention consistsin the details of construction and in the arrangement and combinetion of parts to be hereinafter more fully dethe invention 1n detail refgerenwwiu be had to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters of refer- 1 ence .denotecorresponding parts inthe sevand in whichy'f Figure 1'is'a partial front elevation of an automobile showing a wheel at one end of I the frontjaxle supported by the caster with v the detachable supporting element thereof. [I removed and also the front axle of the autothe caster at its'other end throughtheinstrumentality of the sup porting element which engages the axle; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the caster with the detachable supporting elementapplied thereto; Fig. 3, a detail perspective view of the caster with the supporting element removed therefrom; and, Fig. 4:, a section on the line 4 1 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the improved caster is shown as comprising a base formed of an integral casting having a central 1onand I do hereby invention relates to vehicle casters.

sides of the portion,

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Specification of Letters Patent. yang-311 5991 (M513. 25,)191U. 20.1909. Serial No. 534,086.

gitudinal dished portion 10 provided at one end of each upper edgewithlaterally pro-- jecting cars 11, while corresponding ears 12 project laterally fromthe opposite end of each'of said upper edges. Each of the cars 11. and 12 has secured to its lower face a plate 13, the under side of which is provided with an annular groove 1a. Disposed beneath the plate13 and rotatably connected therewith by a swivel pin-15 is another plate 16 provided with an annular groove 17 in its upper side in vertical'alinement with the groove 14 of the plate 13. Depending from the plate 16 is a pair of spacedears 18 and 19 between which is journaled in'a suitable manner a caster wheel 20. Disposed between the groove 14 and the groove 17 of the plates 13 and 16 respectively are a plurality of steel balls 21 which form anti-friction hearings to permit the plate 16 and the caster wheel carried thereby to swivel easily on the pin 15. The ears 11 and 12 are provided with apertures 22 disposed in vertical alinenient above the swivel pin 15. These apertures 22 are adapted to receive projections on the supporting legs of a lifting member to be presently described.

l The sides of the dished portion 10 are bulged inwardly 'at corresponding spaced points in their length to form the projections 23 and 2% respectively; 'said projections diverging upwardly from nothing at the base of the dished portion 10* and also increasing in depth as the upper edges of the 10 are approached. Each of the projections 23 and 24am positioned in transverse alinernent with the caster wheel mounting disposed adjacent thereto so that the cavity formed in the outer face of the side of the dished port-ion, as a result of bulging said side inwardly to form the projections 23 and 24 will be adapted to receive a part of the caster wheel mounting during a portionof its movement when rotated upon the swivel pin 15. The

construction yust described enhances the compactness of the structure of the base portion' of the caster as-it permits the caster wheel mounting to be'brought inward toward the dished portion of the face and at the same time permits said mounting to turn completely around on the'swivel pin 15 without coming into engagement-with the sides of said dished portion. The projections 23,

and 24 of the d iviceserveto maintain the;

tired wheel of'an automobile against relative I application of a little additional force.

In order to permit a wheel to be easily forced into the dished portion 10 of the caster arch end thereof is provided with an extending lip 25; said lips and the longi tudinal center of'the dished portion 10 being disposed in a common horizontal plane as illustrated in Fig. 2. By tilting the base on either end it will be obvious that a. wheel may be easily forced upward on the lip 25 and into the dished portion 10 so as to be disposed between the projections 23 and 24.

The supporting element of the ca ster com prises a supporting member formed of a socket section it) provided with radiating depending legsQT each of which have formed on their ends a lag 28 adapted to tit in the apertures of the ears 1.1 and 12, said apertures being increased in depth by a boss 28 surrounding same. Mounted for vertical travel in the socket portion 20 is a supporting member 2!) having a socket 30 in its upper end for engagement with the axle of the vehicle. The supporting member 29 is raised and lowered either after the fashion of an ort liuary jack or by means of a handle and bracket arm 29, the lower end of said member moving in proximity to the bottom of the dished portion 10 of the base at the limit of its downward movement, thus enabling considerable range of movement of said supporting member while at the same time keeping the combined height of the wheeled base and supporting element of the caster within a comparatively small limit. It will also be obvious that when the supporting memher is detached and used ihdeplendently of the wheeled base the radiating depending legs 27 will maintain the supporting element stable against the influence of a tilting stress, and it will be further obvious that as the strain, when the supporting member is used in conjunction with the wheeled base, is applied directly over the swivel of the caster wheel mountings a possible tilting of said base during its use is provided against.

'What is claimed is 1. In a vehicle caster, a base having outstanding side flanges and a longitudinal In a vehicle caster, the combination of a wheeled base having means to receive a vehicle wheel tire, and a supporting member, said base and said supporting member having means to detachably secure the latter on the former, said supporting member also having means to support the same against tilting stress either when said supporting member is on or detached from said base.

t. In a vehicle caster, a base having outstanding side flanges and a longitudinal channel, the latter to accommodate a vehicle wheel tire, the sides of said channel being formed with projections extending into said channel from opposite sides thereof and further formed with recesses in the outer sides of said projections and casters under and over-hung by said side flanges and disposed opposite and cleared by said recesses.

5. In a vehicle caster, the combination of a wheeled base, having a longitirdinalchannel to receive a vehicle wheel tire and a supporting member, 'said supporting member comprising a vertically movable member and a socket member in which said vertically movable member is mounted, said socket member having radially disposed legs extending therefrom, said legs and said wheeled base having means to detachably mount said legs and hence also said supporting member on the said wheeled base.

6. In a vehicle caster, the combination of a wheeled base having a longitudinal channel to receive a vehicle wheel tire and li s projecting from the ends of the base to irice the wheel tire into or out of the said channel, and a supporting member, said base being fitted to accommodate the vehicle tire and the said supporting member interchangeabl r Iii testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN E. NORWOOD.

' Witnesses:

CURTIS O. TYSON, WILLOUGHBY HALL. 

